Pages

DIY: Bow clutch sewing tutorial.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

YES! You can sell this if you make it! Thanks for asking. Please give credit to Whitney Newby (www.elmstreetlife.com) for the pattern and design.

**Also, please note except where I say, "Sew close to the edge," I am using a 1/2" seam allowance throughout. I have my machine set to this, so I am using the presser foot as my guide to sew 1/2" from the edge of the fabric.

Ok, let's get started!

Supplies you'll need:

1/2 yard exterior fabric*

1/4 yard interior fabric (I recommend a quilting cotton)

9" zipper that matches your exterior fabric

1/4 yard #808 Pellon Craft Fuse interfacing

Sewing thread that matches your exterior fabric

Sewing machine

Scissors

Pins

Iron & ironing board

*I recommend a medium to heavier weight cotton for this. Linen is what I'm using, and it works perfectly. You don't want to use a quilting weight cotton or something really light - it will make the final product too flimsy.

1. Start by cutting your exterior pieces. I use a quilting cutting mat which makes things as accurate as possible.

2. Now cut interior fabric pieces.

3. Cut interfacing.

4. Bring your strap piece to the ironing board.

Sometimes, at the end of this step, if my strap doesn't feel sturdy enough, I'll cut a thin strip of interfacing and tuck it inside the crease before sewing. This is an optional step.

5. Now it's time to sew your strap.

6. Set the strap aside and let's work on the "knot" of your bow.

7. Once you've gotten the "knot," let's work on the other part of your bow.

8. Set your bow aside for now, and grab your interior and exterior fabric pieces and your pieces of interfacing.

9. Now it's time to attach your bow.

10. Set those pieces aside and let's work on installing your zipper.

11. Attach the exterior fabrics to the other side of your zipper.

12. You're on the home stretch! Let's add the strap and finish the bag!

WHEW! I hope you enjoyed that - please let me know if you try it at home... I'd love to see the results (it might make all of this sewing tutorial work worth it!). :)

Also, if you like the bag but aren't a seamstress, I sell these bags in my Etsy shop: Brighter Day, and I'm happy to make them in just about any color!

*The only difference in the one I just made and the photo at the very top of this post is that I rounded the corners a bit and added a darker zipper - both of which are options you could try!

I'm super excited to try this out! I'm a good friend of Sarah Kidder's. She's the one who introduced me to your blog (and also the one who taught me how to sew) which I love for all sorts of reasons. When I finish, I'll be sure to share my final product.

Great tutorial and pictures. I do sew, a lot, and like your project. We sewers like specific directions, so please add how big the seam allowances are. That is the measurement of the seam from the edge of the fabric to the needle. From your dimenions, I guess it is 1/2". Just for your info, generally quilting projects use 1/4" and garments use 5/8". I think I will make some of these clutches for my 3 teenage nieces, they all have birthdays this month. Quick easy project and a great way to use up scraps of fabric.

Thanks to pinterest I found your blog! I followed your diy instructions and made two of my own today. I used printed fabric and I love the results! When I take pictures I'll send you a link! Thanks so much for posting this wonderful tutorial :)

This was an amazing tutorial, and I've seen quite a few! I especially loved that your pattern pieces had the sizes on them, easy to find and see. I've sewn for over 40 years and I'm always finding some lovely project to sew. This one will make a sweet gift for a friend. Thank you so much for sharing!

Wowww!! That is a very nice bag and a very detailed tutorial! I can't bilieve its your first one! Congratulations!I was so happy to read that you are learning how to sew just by reading online tutorials. I do the same! It is been almost a year now, and I am having so much fun!! But my grandma don't stop saying I should take some classes : )Anyway, I might not know about all the details, but the things I manage to do, I write tutorials, like you! Congrats again! and happy sewing!Raquel costurandocriatividade.blogspot.com

Love this! You know what's funny...I decided one day to make little wristlets and I made it up entirely myself...and seeing this cracks me up because you do it the exact same way I do! Never thought to add a bow though--so adorable! I'm going to have to try this. Also, if it helps, I think you explained it very well! :)

Thank you so much for this easy and awesome little clutch pattern - I saw it today and had to make one! I can send a picture your way if you care to see how it came out. I used your basic pattern and added my own jazz to it. I'll be giving them to my bridesmaid at my wedding - so thanks a bunch for giving me the instructions and inspiration to make such cute little clutches. I absolutely love them!

Whitney! This was amazing! I made one for my best friend for her birthday and she LOVED it. I, of course, then had to make one for myself. they both came out really great! Thank you for taking the time to post this!

Great tutorial! I saw it yesterday and couldn't stop myself from making four of them. I didn't see a flickr pool or anything, so here's a link to my blog post with a photo! I didn't photograph all four, since i'm hoping to keep some of them under wraps as gifts for a few more weeks. Thanks again for the great tutorial!

This was a great tutorial. It was terrific for a beginner like me! I was wondering how you make the tags that go in the bags; like your tag says "brighter days." Do you make them yourself or order them. Thanks for your help! My email address is mabe621@comcast.net

I found your site and DIY clutch on Pinterest today! So cute. I wish I had time to make it but I made sure to pin it for later. Your blog is amazing too! I'm now following you on Bloglovin. I just recently started a blog. Stop by if you have a minute! letmebecreative.wordpress.com

This tutorial is AMAZING! Even for me (I'm italian and I learned english on my own) it is simple and super-fun to follow! Maybe this is the kick I needed to be back on my poor sewing machine, she deserves more attention from me :P

just found your blog through pinterest and want to go buy a zipper tomorrow and make this weekend! I just bought some fabric at IKEA that I loved for the pattern but it's a little home decor-ish for clothes. This would be perfect!I am learning to sew mostly through blogs and tutorials as well and it is wonderful. I've taken a couple classes but without tutorials like yours I wouldn't have such a variety of easy, CUTE projects to try and build my skills and confidence. Nice job!

I recently found your blog, and I'm hooked. I relate to a lot of the things you share here, and it is very encouraging (adoption, God, etc.), so thank you for sharing!I did my own clutch following your instructions. It was my first sewing project, ever! And it you did great with the tutorial, it was so much fun and easy to follow! Here it is: http://instagr.am/p/IPf17PpLmj/

This was a great tutorial! I've never lined anything or installed a zipper before, and I had no problems following it. One note: when I finished the bag, my strap was tucked inside the bow, and I didn't understand what I had done wrong. It took me a day to realize I hadn't fully "flipped" the bag when I turned it right side in and the bow was on the wrong side of the bag. When I flipped it around so the bow was on the "front" and not the "back," all was well.

I am a new sewer, and followed this tutorial successfully. The only thing that let me down was the neatness of my sewing which I guess will come with practice. I have real problems with zips still, even with a zipper foot. However, as the bag is for me, it doesn't matter...I love it. I will be making one for one of my best friends soon, hopefully with straighter seams!

Thank you for putting this out there. I will be posting a photo of the finished article on my blog, linking back to you tomorrow. (Sunday) I hope you like it.

I've been sewing for a few years and my seams used to like to go at an angle too. I use painters tape now to help with that I just like it up on either side of where my seam will go and it keeps me going straight :) It tends to be less sticky, so I don't have any problems with it pulling fabric and messing it up

I found you through Pinterest. I just finished following this tutorial and WOW it was FUN! I feel so accomplished. :) My husband and I are going to a concert tonight and I'm off to change my clothes so I can take my clutch! Thank you so much for sharing and God Bless.

Loved your tutorial. I made one myself and now I want to go out to dinner, wear it and brag about it. I blog in Spanish and here's my post about it: http://mujeres-al-borde.blogspot.mx/2012/04/sencilla-y-hermosa.html

ooooohhhh wwooowww!!! thanks, thanks a lot for share this amazing DIY with everybody. And it understands very well, cause I'm from Barcelona and my english is a little bad, :), but I understand you perfectly!!! Your yellow bag is so cool!!

I did it to match my infinity dress I just made (awesome project!) which is blue, so I used black for the exterior of the back and the extra blue from my dress for the bow- it looks so cute! Thanks for the tutorial!

wow.. I love the bow clutch.. found you through Emmalinebags blog, she made a clutch inspired by your idea and shared it at Friday Fun Party going on at craftionary right now! :) You can join it too if you like.. Have a nice weekendLoveHanicraftionary.net

I'm in love with this tutorial! I think I'll be stopping by Hobby Lobby later to pick up some fabric and a zipper. We're going to Hawaii in a couple weeks and I need something like this for when we go out to dinner and I don't want to bring a big purse! Thank you thank you!

Oh how beautiful! This is a beautiful tutorial, I haven't used a sewing machine in literally over a decade, so I think I'm going to have to take my time to get to this skill level. Firstly will have to start with dusting it off....but I'm so glad I found this, it's lovely. Thank you!

Hi! I just wanted to thank you for sharing this. I made this last week for my daughter. She is getting married in a few months. It caught my attention because the bow made me think of her shoes for the wedding. I used white bridal satin for the exterior and for the interior fabric I hand embroidered her wedding date and the "Something old, something new..." verse. She can use it on her wedding day to have something to carry if she needs it that's handy but not bulky. But then use it as a keepsake afterwards to store her garter, sixpence, and other small sentimental items from her wedding. Again, thank you for posting the directions. I have very little sewing experience and The directions were very easy to understand and it helped me make an item that I'm sure my daughter will cherish for years to come. I've had several compliments on it already and have been asked to make another one for her friend who is also getting married.

I just made one : and it's great (first time I ever sew a zipper, thought it would be a nightmare but actually... wasn't !)Thanks for this tutorial, it's perfectly clear, even for a french girl like me!

Thank you for this tutorial. I found it while searching for a DIY clutch. I finished mine the other day and gave it to my daughter to use at her graduation party. Your instructions were very easy to follow. Once I had my thread tension issues sorted out, the clutch was very easy to make! I blogged about it here (same post, after the necklace)http://angelascraftydistractions.blogspot.ca/2012/06/graduation-accessories.htmlif you want to peek at my version.Thanks again!:)

This is an AMAZING clutch, and the tutorial is perfect! I just made one in an hour - start to finish! I'm making wristlets for a bridal party, and I decided to make this one for the bride, in the same fabric as the bridemaids' dresses and wristlets. I used some fusible fleece to make the silky fabric more sturdy, as well as the interfacing you recommended. It is awesome! Can't wait to give it to the bride!!!

I made this yesterday and it turned out really cute! Thanks for sharing the tutorial, it is very well-written Here is a picture sof mine if you'd like to check it out: http://mypintereststuff.blogspot.com/2012/06/bow-clutch.html

Thank you for the tutorial! I've been looking for a white clutch for my friend's wedding but couldn't find any, so this was really helpful! I used white polyester satin for the exterior, cotton for the interior and used the interfacing both on exterior and interior fabrics. Here's a picture of my bridesmaid's clutch: http://i49.tinypic.com/bdw685.jpg

I did it too! Although I skipped the bow part!Awesome Tutorial! Thank you so much!I turned a scrap piece of material into a wonderful clutch that I'm now going to embellish mine with tiny pearls for full out 'girlyness'!!I can see a whole bunch of these in my wardrobe!!Happy Sewing!!

I had to dig out my sewing machine from storage just to make this! And now, I'm addicted. I've made 3 and about to make 9 more as bridesmaids/bride gifts for my sister-in-law's wedding. Thank you for such a detailed tutorial and for inspiring me to start my own blog! I've linked your site to my post- you deserve all the credit. Thank you!http://www.oneniftygemini.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-bow-clutch.html

My friend begged me to make this for her and I just finished whipping it up. I cannot thank you enough, your instructions were perfectly clear and I loved having the pix to refer to. As a relativly novice sew-er it came together beautifully. I just wish I could show you some pix of my work..

Hmm... did you make sure it's the iron on kind? There is a lot of interfacing that's only to sew-in. I guess I'd just make sure you're ironing to the shiny side and following the instructions on the bolt. Sorry it didn't work!

Megan: The Craft Fuse stuff requires moisture to fuse it. You need to either dampen a towel and press it over the fabric and the hit it with the iron.. or do what I do and get a spray bottle with some water and spritz the fabric (laid over the craft fuse) and then steam that right onto it. It should fuse right up as long as the iron is nice and hot for cotton fabric setting.

Whitney! I absolutely love this clutch - and the tutorial is fantastic. More please :)I haven't even looked through the rest of your site yet - I found this one and had to make it straight away. Here's my result: http://www.leahbaade.com/sewing/bow-clutch/. I have mixed feelings about it but I really like it so I might give it another go in a couple of weeks.Thanks!

Hi Whitney... I found your tutorial on making this clutch few weeks back and thought I could try it... Well today I did... and it turned out fantastic... :D I used a satiny material and without the handle strap... Since the material was so soft, I used a thicker lining cloth... thought it would make a wonderful special clutch for a party... I am thinking of embellishing it with something shiny... hehe... Thank You so much for the tutorial... it was wonderful and easy to follow...

I just made this adorable clutch! I am a beginner, I mean a real beginner, this was my first time installing a zipper!! It turned out great, I can't believe I made it, your instructions were so easy to follow and the pictures really helped.

thank you so much for this tutorial. It is fantastic and I already have now "my own bow clutch". It was really easy to sew and it didn't take much time.I love it! If you like to see it: http://fantasieundsie.blogspot.de/2012/08/bow-clutch.html

This is exactly the kind of tutorial I was looking for! Super easy and simple, but great style!

I'm going to be attempting these this afternoon to make clutches for all my bridesmaids!Once they're done (and after the girls have received them), I'll be sharing your tutorial on my blog!www.humberhomeproject.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for sharing and breaking it down into such simple steps!(haha, we'll see if I still think it's that simple after I've gotten into a few fights with the sewing machine...)

Hi! :) i love this & am planning to make this soon! however, i dont have the Pellon Craft Fuse interfacing! i was wondering if instead i could use just a thick fabric or maybe an old shirt? would that work?

Yes - it would definitely work, it would just be a lot more difficult to keep it in place while you sew. The craft interfacing irons on so it makes it more sturdy and you don't have to worry about keeping it in place while you sew it... so I'd definitely recommend the craft fuse, but it's worth a shot!! :)

Hi, I think this clutch is simply adorable. I want to make this soon. I was wondering if this would work with a patterned cloth. Would the bow not show up against the bag? Or should I just use the patterned cloth and make the bow a different cloth?? What would be the best?? Thanks!

Hi! so i finally made this & even though it doesnt look as good as yours, i still love it & am very happy with the results!!! :) i did have to change a few things because i had a 8in. zipper, not a 9 inch & also for some fabrics, i cut it uneven on accident... & i did take your suggestion of trying the old shirt for the interfacing! :) i took several days making this because i hand-sewed it, but it was all worth it because its so cute! anyways, thanks so much for having great instuctions & for replying so fast on my question a while ago! :)

Thanks for writing this tutorial! I'm a visual person so the pics helped a lot! I just finished making myself one to take on my upcoming trip and couldn't be happier! Can't wait to make more in different colors :)

Hi... Thanks for the awesome tutorial! It was very understandable.I have a question: I have meny zippers in size 18 cm. In your tutorial the zipper is 23 cm.How can I make this clutch that it will fit to them.I am from Israel ((:ThanksAnat

I actually made this merely with cotton blends I had left over. I ended putting batting on the backside of the exterior to "thicken it up" and it came out just fine. Actually I quite love this!! Great little bag for my few things I carry. I'm really new to sewing I normally just wing things - but to follow a pattern this was VERY easy to follow along with. Terrific Pattern!

When I saw this I immediately thought of my best friend, Jessica. I noticed from your Etsy shop (which I love, btw) that you lived in Franklin, TN and just had a little boy. They also live in Franklin (in a town house in Westhaven) and just had their first child, a little boy, in August. :) Anyways, I'm just learning to sew and I'm really excited to try to make this for her! Maybe as a birthday or Christmas gift. Thank you for posting it! ~ Brielle

Hi, I really liked your post-Bow clutch sewing tutorial. I have an Israeli blog about food and DIY and I would like to translate your post to Hebrew and of course put a direct link to your site. Ihope you will say yes:) Thank you, and come visit my blog, Noa- www.noastoo.blogspot.com

Hi, I really liked your post-Bow clutch sewing tutorial. I have an Israeli blog about food and DIY and I would like to translate your post to Hebrew and of course put a direct link to your site. Ihope you will say yes:) Thank you, and come visit my blog, Noa- www.noastoo.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for giving me the tutorial!! I saw this on Craftgawker and I thought it was the cutest clutch ever!!!! -- And I think you used to go to my church... (I go to Immanuel Church in Nashville)

Love this clutch. Thanks for sharing. Here's the one I made last night.http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc215/rlynneholmes/Sewing/8F68C8B0-0E0D-4278-B527-707B4D42DB81-9979-00000CAC5CE94BEF.jpghttp://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc215/rlynneholmes/Sewing/BD4D7C4B-4821-48CF-BEA3-B9175578E289-9979-00000CAC5B11E3B6.jpg

This is fantastic! My daughter made one for herself and uses it all the time. She chose a grey wool fabric for the main body, and a bright floral bow. It looks really trendy. I hope to make one for myself next. Thank you for the really clear tutorial.

Thank you so much for this very simple and easy to understand tutorial. I made a total of 6 bags to give away as Christmas gifts! I made a simple pattern from the dimensions you provided and was able to cut out several at a time and sew them up quickly. I used a beautiful bright red with a grey patterned fabric lining. Very beautiful and classy for a night out. Thank you so much! Lucia